Feminine Interests

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 752, 27 August 1929, Page 5

Feminine Interests

FAILURE THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SUCCESS

WHERE SELF-DECEPTION MAY LEAD US There are any number of people who are at once energetic and lazy, superlai tively vain and immoderately diffident, \in their attitude to Life, to themj selves, and to their work. Energy, \ vital and abounding, for instance, is brought to the accomplishment of unnecessary jobs, but it peters out when | a real spell of work presents itself. And vanity, stimulating and sustaining, will impart a self-confidence that with | every act of accomplishment is tiei stroyed. Of such material are many of the world's failures made. Rosy visions of success must remain visions only while the mood that creates them is spent on attractive futilities rather than the honest-to-goodness drudgery that spells real achievement. There may be perfectly justifiable grounds for self-esteem, but without a solid backing of truly modest valour—the | courage that keeps on keeping on in ; the face of “turn-downs” —such self- | esteem is bound to alternate with that j soul-destroying diffidence which is \ another word for too easily injured ! pride. ! As often as not, it is not modesty or self-mistrust that makes the budding i author weep over the first rejected manuscript; it is hurt vanity. The I same applies to the cocksure novice in any business or professional job, who, because the laurels may not immedi--1 ately adorn his smug brow, attributes ; the fact to lack of insight on the part of senile seniors whose creed is : youth repression. Malcontents abound among the writers, the artists, and the singers. They have always abundant excuses for : their failure to make good. They i have lacked, they will tell you with i acrid cynicism, the all-essential “in- | fluence.” Their gifts are beyond the : appreciation of unqualified judges, or ■ judges whose favours are reserved for j proteges of their own. There are. women who will tell you that it is refusal to renounce pure dignity and sacred pride, that has robbed them of their rightful rewards, while lesser feminine talents have won through by a disregard of womanly virtue. Not infrequently there is some sort of truth in these plaints. But it is only part-truth, and wholly unhelpful to dwell upon. Nothing can stay the march of genuine success. Not fiction alone, but real life, is full of the triumph of unaided, independent genius—and lesser talents, too —outrivalling mediocrity pushed on by the dubious “influence” aforesaid. It

serves no useful or practical purpose to be for ever insisting that you live in a world of guile and fleshpots, where false values prevail. If you cannot make your talents saleable in a world that, after all, has the last word, you must brand yourself a failure in so tar as gold-digging is concerned, and get what consolation you can out of your lofty disdain. But first, in fairness to the world and your best self, break awry from all maudlin self-deception, and be quite sure that it is not overweening vanity plus inherent sloth, rather than de ■ spair of your fellow-creatures’ judgments and tastes, that is responsible for a failure which holds the elements of potential success.

HELP FOR THE HOME LAUNDRESS

"BLUEING” THE CLOTHES Laundry that is “blued” too much is an unattractive as that which is a dull yellowish colour. A sure test for blue water is to take a little in the palm of the hand and examine it in natural light. If it is the right strength it will look clear sky-blue. To prevent the possibility of blue stain remaining in materials, dissolve a little soda in the blue water. If you fail to get the tint even, add a pinch of salt, and the colour will be distributed without patches. •If, after bearing these points in mind, you still have trouble with the blueing process, get from the chemist two pennyworth of oxalic acid and Prussian blue mixed. Put it into a quart bottle and fill up with cold water. This home-prepared blue will last a long time, as only a very little is needed for each rinsing. Besides being cheaper than ordinary blue, it never makes the articles look streaky or cloudy. A WAY WITH “LEFT OVERS” MINCED MEAT CUTLETS Ingredients.—ilb. minced meat, one thick slice stale bread, a little milk, one medium-sized onion, a little suet, parsley to taste, one egg, one yolk of egg, about 2oz. mild white cheese, salt and pepper to taste; breadcrumbs obtained by thoroughly toasting bread in the oven and pounding till a powder results. Put the minced meat into a bowl and add to it the slice of bread which has been previously soaked in the milk; the onion which has been cut up and fried golden brown; the chopped suet, and the chopped parsley. Mix these ingredients together, and the egg, the grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste and mix again. Make the mixture rather soft, otherwise the cutlets will be stodgy; if too loose add some of the breadcrumbs. Form into small, round, flattened cutlets, two to three inches across, smear them with the beaten yolk of egg, coat well with the breadcrumbs and fry slowly till done. Serve hot.

FURNITURE YOU CAN BUILD YOURSELF

-Modern woman is more of an individualist than ever her mother was, and she is given to having pieces of furniture built for her. or building them up on her own account, to fit in with her notion of how the home should be equipped. The sectional system that permits separate parts of one large piece to be purchased as the household budget allows, is especially useful in this respect. I have seen the bureau portion of a bookcase utilised in a bedsi tt in groom, for example, with a cupboard below for use as a hanging wardrobo for coats and jumpers and a shallower cupboard on top to accommodate hat boxes and shoes. Such a section could be similarly incorporated with a small chest of drawers — an admirable arrangement for the schoolgirl who is anxious to convert her bedroom into a “den,” where she may do her lessons and read in perfect peace and quietude. One of the most charming of modern fitments is in the form of a corner “what-not” to take china, a pottery figure or possibly a bronze. The lower portion is a perfectly square cube, made of ash, or any unstained wood of nice grain. On this is set a triangular cube, that is just its half—that is to say, it is the form which would result if you chopped the square cube from one corner across to its opposite angle. Thus is provided a couple of triangular spaces on which to display the ornaments. To build a “four-poster” would indeed be an undertaking, but it is easy to convey the impression of one by installing a divan and getting the carpenter to run a wooden moulding along the coiling to the width of the bed, and to the extent of a couple of feet on each side. Slender brass rails and rings added to these mouldings will take the chintz curtains that simulate poster-hangings. “SURPRISE CARROTS” For six large, fine carrots, you will need about a quarter of a lb. of minced meat, two flat teaspoonfuls of sugar, salt.to taste, a lump of butter, a little stock, and flour for thickening. Wash and scrape the carrots, remove the pointed ends and cut them lengthways into equal halves. Scoop out as much as possible of the hearts, and fill the cavities thus made with the minced meat seasoned to taste. Place the halves together again and bind them with cotton so that they will not fall apart in the cooking. Boil in the stock with a piece of fresh butter, the sugar and the necessary salt. When done remove the cotton from the carrots, handling them carefully so that they can be served up whole. Thicken the liquor with a little flour and pour this round them. They are generally eaten with sausages, but are equally suitable to serve with other meat dishes, as well as poached eggs. COMPOTE OF PRUNES Put in a saucepan half a pound of prunes, quarter-pint of water, quarterpint of wine, the thinly pared rind of half a lemon, two cloves, and two ounces of loaf sugar. Simmer very gently till the fruit is quite tender. Let it get cold, then take out the cloves and lemon rind, and add a few diamond shaped pieces of angelica.